In the beginning

I want to share my cake decorating experiences with everyone. I decided to start with the cake that turned me into a "professional".

The brother of friend from high school was getting married in 98 or 99 (I think) and his mom called me to see if I would be willing to make a small cake to display at his second reception. I was nervous and unsure my talents could or should go to that level. I had been making birthday cakes since.... well for a long time. Oh, I wish I had pictures of those early cakes. Mom? I mean really, Ill never forget the day I got the recipe for buttercream frosting and realized that you needed more than a few tablespoons of butter if you plan on doing anything but glazing. (One year I decided to try a 2 layer cake for my sister, ended up calling it the blob. She got two birthday cakes that year.)

After some assurance that this wasn't as big a deal as the usual wedding cake, I decided to try. We looked in the Wilton cake books and morphed two different cakes to make one. It was the first time I had ever used fondant before, but that was what was wanted. this was when fondant was becoming more popular, and look how much it is used now.

I went to the craft store and bought ready made fondant, came home and baked the cake. I read the directions on how to prepare the cake and lay the fondant.

What a nightmare! All the folds and creases. I had to cut the fondant! For those not familiar with fondant it is rolled frosting, in simple terms. The smooth almost porcelain finish most wedding cakes have these days. You roll it out larger than the cake you are frosting and in theory, you drape it over the cake and smooth it out. not cut to fit. (unless going for a different look)

Anyway thankfully I had some detail work to do on it and that covered the seems on the cake. It turned out nice. My friend said everyone thought the cake looked nice but the frosting tasted bad. I promised myself I would never do a fondant cake again! As you will see in future postings I did not stick to that promise and all has worked out. Especially since I make my own.

Oh and on a side note not many people can eat a cake with the fondant on it, the fondant is to rich and has a doughy texture. I like mine a lot but still can't eat much at a time. It really is all about the look desired and the moldability the fondant has to offer.